Questions about classic Clampett

[Lonestarr]

I saw "Falling Hare" on Sunday's "Bob Clampett Show" (it might've been another show, but the point is that I saw it), and I timed it with a stopwatch, and learned something interesting: it runs 8 whole minutes! I had read somewhere that, during his tenure, Leon Schlesinger had alloted WB cartoons to run, at most, 6 to 7 minutes. Not that I'm complaining, but can anyone explain?

Also, a few weeks back, on BCS, I saw what I'm sure was "Bacall to Arms" (ha, ha) and I could swear that it was edited; anyone who saw the original and the CN version might have a clue. It felt like the wolf's reactions to Bacall were haphazardly edited (though interestingly enough, there was a Rochester gag at the end, untouched). A little help?

[Jack]

I don't think the indevidual running times of the cartoons mattered, as long as it evened out by the end of the year, no cartoon went below 6 minutes, and they stayed in budget. There are cartoons from the period that run 9-10 minutes, such as "Horton Hatches The Egg" and "The Dover Boys" while others are shorter. Also 8 minutes wasn't too unusual for the time.

And "Bacall to Arms" was probably heavily edited before release, many late Clampett cartoons are like that, but this one seems choppier than usual. The Bob Clampett Show doesn't use edited prints.


Jack:D

[BobChief]

...on the former identity of this board, which can be reached from wherever you see the words "TTTP Archives". Sadly, there isn't a working search feature, so I couldn't be more specific.

But to answer your questions:

1. The 6 - 7 minute thing was likely a fact, but plenty of them ran longer. There would have to have been some give-and-take between directors and Leon on that.

2. "Bacall" was by most people's accounts Tex Avery's last significant project at Warners, so he and his staff may have strayed a little bit over the line in terms of the film's humor content. (He would get into similar trouble later at MGM.)
Enough of its cuts were of sexually-suggestive stuff -- mainly the wolf's reactions to seeing the lovely Betty on-screen (think "SCHWING!" in Wayne's World...) -- which were expressly prohibited under the film industry's code of conduct at the time.

[BobChief]

:) I said Avery when I should've said Clampett. SORRY...